New recipe marks the food startup’s first major product upgrade
since the award-winning plant-based meat debuted in 2016

Next-generation Impossible Burger contains no gluten, 0 mg
cholesterol and as much iron and protein as conventional beef from cows

Impossible Burger “2.0” debuts today in Las Vegas at the
International Consumer Electronics Show and at America’s most
influential restaurants; Impossible Foods plans to launch its flagship
product in grocery stores later this year

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Impossible Foods is launching its first major product upgrade this
month—and the next-generation Impossible Burger delivers unprecedented
taste, nutrition and versatility.

The new recipe of the plant-based Impossible Burger contains no gluten,
no animal hormones and no antibiotics. It’s kosher- and halal-certified.
It’s delicious in any ground meat dish, including stews, chili, sauces,
braises, minces, meatballs, meat pies or any other beefy menu item. It’s
easy to cook on the BBQ, charbroiler, flat top grill, high speed oven,
steamer or sauté pan. Chefs can use the Impossible Burger in recipes
from lasagne to lo mein.

The new Impossible Burger has as much bioavailable iron and protein as a
comparable serving of ground beef from cows. In addition, the new
Impossible Burger has 0 mg cholesterol, 14 grams of total fat and 240
calories in a quarter-pound patty. (A quarter-pound, conventional
“80/20” patty from cows has 80 mg cholesterol, 23 grams of total fat and
290 calories.)

“The newest Impossible Burger delivers everything that matters to
hard-core meat lovers, including taste, nutrition and versatility,” said
Impossible Foods’ CEO and Founder Dr. Patrick O. Brown. “This is the
plant-based meat that will eliminate the need for animals in the food
chain and make the global food system sustainable.”

Impossible Foods launched its next-generation Impossible Burger at the
International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) -- the first food ever
showcased at the show, which features breakthrough technologies from
connected homes to autonomous cars. Impossible Foods expects to serve at
least 12,000 free samples throughout CES with a food truck outside the
Las Vegas Convention Center Jan. 8-11.

On Jan. 7, the Las Vegas outlet of Border Grill became the world’s first
restaurant to begin serving the next-generation Impossible Burger. Owned
by Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, Border Grill revolutionized
Mexican cuisine in America and helped kickstart the sustainable food
movement among US restaurateurs.

“Using animals to make protein is an ancient technology -- and while it
worked in the 19th century, it doesn’t sustainably scale for the 21st
century and beyond,” said Milliken, the 2018 winner of the Julia Child
Award for lifetime achievement. “We need more innovation in the food
sector so meat lovers can keep eating their favorite foods -- without
destroying biodiversity. I’ve been watching Impossible Foods for years
and am thrilled to see the quantum leap forward of this next-generation
recipe.”

Starting Jan. 8, many more of America’s most influential chefs will get
exclusive access and serve the new recipe in their restaurants,
including:

The Impossible Burger is now available in more than 5,000 locations in
the United States, from fine-dining establishments and “better burger”
chains (including Umami Burger, Bareburger, Wahlburgers, The Counter,
Hopdoddy, Fatburger and Gott’s), as well as White Castle, America’s
original fast food restaurant and home to the Impossible Slider, celebrated
as one of America’s best burgers.

Starting next week, “better burger” chains will begin rolling out the
new recipe. Starting Feb. 4, the next-generation Impossible Burger will
be available to all restaurants in the United States through major food
distributors. At that point, restaurants will automatically get the new
recipe when they place their next order; by mid-March nearly all
Impossible Foods’ restaurant customers will likely be serving the new
recipe.

The Impossible Burger is also available in more than 100 restaurants in
Hong Kong and Macau. The company plans to launch the new recipe in
Singapore later this year, with additional markets to come.

BIG TASTE, SMALL FOOTPRINT

Based in Redwood City, Calif., Impossible Foods uses modern science and
technology to create wholesome and nutritious food, restore natural
ecosystems and feed a growing population sustainably. The company makes
meat directly from plants -- with a much smaller environmental footprint
than meat from animals.

Shortly after its founding in 2011, Impossible Foods’ scientists
discovered that one molecule — “heme”
— is uniquely responsible for the explosion of flavors that result when
meat is cooked. Impossible Foods’ scientists genetically
engineer and ferment yeast to produce a heme protein naturally found
in plants, called soy leghemoglobin.

The heme in the Impossible Burger is identical
to the essential heme humans have been consuming for hundreds of
thousands of years in meat — and while the Impossible Burger delivers
all the craveable depth of beef, it uses far fewer resources because
it’s made from plants, not animals.

TASTE-TESTED BY HARD-CORE MEAT LOVERS

This week’s launch marks the first major product upgrade from Impossible
Foods and comes after years of research -- including frequent,
third-party taste tests on the West Coast, Midwest and Mid-Atlantic with
consumers who self-identify as heavy meat eaters.

The participants each eat a “naked” Impossible Burger (without
condiments or buns). The tasters aren’t told whether they’re eating
plant- or animal-based meat. They then rate the naked patty purely on
“likeability.” In separate tests, consumers gauge likeability for a
similarly plain patty from a cow (made with conventional “80/20” ground
beef from a major grocery chain). Based on aggregated data from more
than 1,500 consumers in these sensory tests, the all-new Impossible
Burger’s “likeability” rivals that of conventional burgers from cows.

Later this year, Impossible Foods plans to launch the next-generation
Impossible Burger in select US grocery stores. That means that home
chefs will be able to enjoy the Impossible Burger’s industry-leading
taste and functionality.

The original Impossible Burger was custom-designed for flat-top cooking
at restaurants. By contrast, the new recipe works in every ground meat
dish, from dumplings to sloppy joes. It can be steamed, seared or
sizzled on slats over an open flame. It retains its texture and
juiciness throughout the cooking process.

The new recipe gets its meaty chew and versatile texture from soy
protein, not wheat protein—a response to consumers who loved the
original Impossible Burger but wanted no wheat or gluten. Impossible
Foods makes the new product in its manufacturing facility in Oakland,
Calif.

“Impossible Burger fans told us loud and clear they wanted a gluten-free
burger that was at least as nutritious as meat from animals,” said
Impossible Foods’ Chief Operations Officer and Chief Financial Officer
David Lee, who also leads global sales. “Our new product delivers all
the taste meat lovers crave -- without compromise to nutrition or the
planet.”

Based in California’s Silicon Valley, Impossible Foods makes delicious,
nutritious meat and dairy products directly from plants — with a much
smaller environmental footprint than meat from animals. The privately
held company was founded in 2011 by Patrick O. Brown, M.D., Ph.D.,
Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry at Stanford University and a former
Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. Investors include Khosla
Ventures, Bill Gates, Google Ventures, Horizons Ventures, UBS, Viking
Global Investors, Temasek, Sailing Capital, and Open Philanthropy
Project.